Marks & Spencer (M&S) is undertaking an ambitious recruitment drive to hire 10,000 temporary workers for the upcoming Christmas season. This year, the retailer is anticipating high demand and aims to bring on board 40% more temporary staff than last year. M&S cited its investment in staff hours to enhance customer service on the shop floor as the reason behind this substantial increase.
In August, the company upgraded its profit expectations after experiencing an impressive 11% growth in like-for-like food sales during the first 19 weeks of 2023. To meet the demands of the holiday season, M&S will start hiring the temporary workers from 19 November. The retailer believes that the Christmas trade will significantly surpass previous expectations, prompting them to allocate additional resources towards staff hours.
Sacha Berendji, the operations director at M&S, expressed the company’s commitment to ensuring a seamless shopping experience for customers. Berendji stated, “This year we’re recruiting even more colleagues to ensure there’s always someone on hand to offer support and recommendations. The Christmas period is a busy but exciting time for M&S and no two days are the same – in fact, many colleagues started their M&S careers at Christmas and have since gone on to progress across the business.”
This successful recruitment effort aligns with M&S’s ongoing turnaround strategy to reshape the business, which has resulted in the company rejoining the FTSE 100 after a four-year absence. With a remarkable 80% increase in shares to 221.9p since the beginning of the year, M&S’s strong performance is expected to continue into 2024. The retailer aims to drive online growth by offering third-party brands, such as Columbia, Regatta, and Sorel.
However, M&S is not alone in preparing for a flourishing in-store trade this Christmas. Other retailers, like Sainsbury’s and Tesco, have also announced plans to recruit temporary workers for the holiday season. Sainsbury’s is planning to hire 22,000 temporary staff, a 22% increase from last year, while Tesco will bring on board 30,000 temporary workers, matching their numbers from the previous year.
As of midday trading on Monday, M&S shares have risen by 0.84% to 217.20p.
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